Hey everyone,
So I sold my phone to someone on marketplace and we met in person at a coffee shop. He sent an e-transfer, and I could see my name and a reference number. Since it was taking a while (more than 10 minutes), I let him leave with my phone, thinking it was just a delay. Now it’s been over 2 hours, and still nothing in my account. I did note down his license plate just in case. Anyone know if there’s a way to check the status of the transfer?
Update for anyone following this (and yeah, I know I messed up): I called Interac to verify the transfer. Turns out it was a fake number, or maybe he canceled it. I got his license plate, and we were in a public coffee shop with cameras, so I’m reporting this, even though it feels like a long shot. Thanks for all the advice, this was definitely a pricey lesson.
@Bao
Hopefully you have the phone’s IMEI number. You could get it locked and turn it into a useless brick for him.
Harley said:
@Bao
Hopefully you have the phone’s IMEI number. You could get it locked and turn it into a useless brick for him.
Yeah, I’ve got all the details for it.
Harley said:
@Bao
Hopefully you have the phone’s IMEI number. You could get it locked and turn it into a useless brick for him.
Yeah, I’ve got all the details for it.
Should I contact Apple to lock it?
@Bao
You could set it to lost in your Apple account. Carriers have a blacklist too, so reach out to them as well. But if it’s wiped with no Apple ID, you might be out of luck.
Harley said:
@Bao
You could set it to lost in your Apple account. Carriers have a blacklist too, so reach out to them as well. But if it’s wiped with no Apple ID, you might be out of luck.
It’s probably heading out of the country. Lots of stolen phones get shipped overseas.
@Bao
Can you add a message before you lock it? Something like ‘Pay the e-transfer or this phone is toast.’
@Bao
If you have ‘Find My’ on, set it to lost mode. If not, you might want to call your carrier to get it blacklisted and report the serial to the police.
Harley said:
@Bao
Hopefully you have the phone’s IMEI number. You could get it locked and turn it into a useless brick for him.
Often, stolen phones get resold in other countries where they don’t care about IMEI blacklists. And if you removed your Apple ID, the buyer probably already knows it’s good to go.
@Bao
Not pointless to report. Try using the term ‘fraud’ rather than ‘scam’ with the police; they might take it more seriously.
dwensije said:
@Bao
Not pointless to report. Try using the term ‘fraud’ rather than ‘scam’ with the police; they might take it more seriously.
Yeah, this is definitely fraud. No sneaky tricks, just straight-up theft.
@FionaCharles
If they start calling it a ‘civil issue,’ make it clear that it’s a straightforward case of fraud.
@Bao
Sorry this happened, man.
@Bao
Don’t beat yourself up too much; even careful people get scammed sometimes. Really sorry you had to go through this.
@Bao
Man, this really sucks. What a terrible thing for someone to do to you.
The words ‘e-transfer’ and ‘scam’ together? Yeah, pretty much always a ‘yes.’
Van said:
The words ‘e-transfer’ and ‘scam’ together? Yeah, pretty much always a ‘yes.’
> ‘e-transfer’ and ‘scam’ together?
And don’t forget ‘marketplace’ …
Van said:
The words ‘e-transfer’ and ‘scam’ together? Yeah, pretty much always a ‘yes.’
> ‘e-transfer’ and ‘scam’ together?
And don’t forget ‘marketplace’ …
I’ve done plenty of buys and sells on marketplace with e-transfers, just gotta have some common sense. Like, never let them leave until you see the money in your account.
Look out for sketchy profiles too. If their account’s new, no profile pic, etc., just don’t risk it.
@Val
But even then, the money could come from a hacked account, and the bank might reverse it later. Cash is really the safest bet.